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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Race Hate Crimes Soar On UK Railways After Brexit Vote

New figures show there was a sharp increase in suspected race hate crimes on UK railways following the vote to leave the European Union.
In the two weeks after the poll, British Transport Police (BTP) recorded 119 incidents of alleged racist abuse and attacks at stations - equivalent to eight every day.
The number of alleged race hate offences logged by the force between 24 June and 7 July amounts to a 57% increase compared with the previous two weeks - and an even sharper rise of 78% on the equivalent period last year.
The findings coincide with a spike revealed in data from police forces around the country.
A spate of reported incidents sparked fears of a wave of xenophobic abuse following the Brexit vote.
Bruce Williamson, of campaign group Railfuture, said: "Every passenger should be able to enter a station and board a train without fear of abuse or worse.
"These latest figures are very worrying, and they highlight the continuing need for staff presence at stations and on board trains.
BTP polices Britain's railways as well as a number of urban networks such as London Underground.
Superintendent Chris Horton, of BTP, said: "Hate crime is totally unacceptable and has no place in society or on the rail network.
"We are aware that hate crime is under-reported and so in order to tackle it effectively, we need the public to stand up to those committing these sickening acts and report it to us. We will take every report seriously.
"We will always work tirelessly to ensure those who threaten or intimidate passengers are brought to justice."
Last month, more than 6,000 alleged hate crimes and incidents were reported to police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the four weeks from the middle of June.
There was a slight fall after an initial spike, but the volume of reports was still around a third higher than the equivalent period last year.


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